PSL 2026: Ever since Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi announced the schedule of its flagship T20 league (PSL 2026), the decision to host it in two cities (Karachi and Lahore) with no crowds has met with immense criticism. As per Naqvi, the idea to host it without any crowds is due to the prevailing fuel crisis and the ongoing tensions in West Asia.
Iceland Cricket handle on ‘X’, which is known for its witty take around the game, took an opportunity to take a swipe at the PSL scheduling.
“The PSL is coming up and that is very exciting for many millions of cricket fans. We have always wondered what PSL stands for and it turns out it means Petrol Shortage League,” the post on X read.
The PSL is coming up and that is very exciting for many millions of cricket fans.
We have always wondered what PSL stands for and it turns out it means Petrol Shortage League.
— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) March 22, 2026
As soon as the post dropped on X, cricket fans joined in to poke fun at PCB and its tactics.
The admin woke up again and chose violence. 🙌🏻
Bhai Iceland mein bhale hi barf girti ho, par inka admin hamesha aag ugalta hai! 🔥😂
Wait until you guys find out what the PCB (Petrol Control Board) is up to.😉
— The Cricket Katha (@TheCricketKatha) March 22, 2026
Pak be like pic.twitter.com/KCb8vXnIxu
— Sakamoto Yadav (@sky_sachin_) March 23, 2026
Don’t Know How Long This War Will Last: Naqvi
Naqvi, in his address to the media, stated that due to the fuel crisis, the Prime Minister has urged people to limit movement, with measures like school closures, work-from-home arrangements, and extended Eid holidays, while the duration of the ongoing war remains uncertain.
“The Prime Minister requested all of Pakistan to restrict their movements because of the fuel crisis. We closed schools and instituted work from home and increased the number of Eid holidays. We don’t know how long this war will last,” Naqvi said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
Naqvi explained that after consulting security agencies, the PSL will proceed as scheduled, but matches will be held without spectators due to the ongoing crisis, making the cancellation of the opening ceremony necessary.
“Looking at all of this and after discussions with our security agencies, we decided that the PSL would continue as per the original schedule. But we can’t ask people to restrict their movements and then have 30,000 people in stadiums every day. We decided that as long as this crisis is ongoing, we will not have crowds at matches. This was a difficult decision, but it needed to be made. The opening ceremony will also be cancelled. Because there are no crowds anyway, there was no reason to go to those cities. And we have to restrict our movements so resources are not wasted,” he added.
The PSL is set to begin on 26 March, with the final on 3 May.
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with inputs from agency
